


Rarer Than Gold

by Lyoung_50



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is getting older, He's Earned This, Jem Carstairs Always Gets An Honorable Mention, M/M, Mortal Alec Lightwood, aging crisis Alec, fight me about it, gratuitous use of TSC quotes, gray hair, he's gonna be a silver fox
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 11:01:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19851790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyoung_50/pseuds/Lyoung_50
Summary: Perhaps fatherhood had been what had done it. Perhaps it had been running the entire enclave. Either way, he hadn’t been expecting it.Alec was staring at himself intently in the large mirror in their bathroom, his hazel eyes glassy with unshed tears. There, in the point where his sideburns melted into his beard, was all the evidence that he needed, as bright as the neon signs in the alley behind The Hunter’s Moon.A gray hair.





	Rarer Than Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [consulalexander](https://archiveofourown.org/users/consulalexander/gifts).



> This is because The Wife provoked this. I have no excuses for this, and no reasoning behind it.

The beard hadn’t really been planned. Alec had woken up one morning and decided not to shave. Then he’d done the same thing the next day and thee day after that. Before he knew it, there was dark stubble coating his face that was thick enough for Magnus to draw his ringed fingers over it with a purred out “this is nice” in their kitchen. 

If he was honest with himself, that was really the deciding factor. That had been nearly five years before, when he was still just the Inquisitor. He’d been made Consul two years before and appointed Izzy as the Head of the New York Institute. Magnus was still reigning as the High Warlock of Alicante, and The Chairman was serving as his administrative assistant. 

The real difference between the day that Alec had started growing his beard and that day was that he and Magnus now had two perfect boys to look after. Max was growing like a weed, and Magnus assured Alec that he would soon be coming into his powers (which Alec hadn’t told anyone terrified him). Rafe had started his shadowhunter training with some of the same instructors that Alec had worked with at his age. 

Perhaps fatherhood had been what had done it. Perhaps it had been running the entire enclave. Either way, he hadn’t been expecting it. 

Alec was staring at himself intently in the large mirror in their bathroom, his hazel eyes glassy with unshed tears. There, in the point where his sideburns melted into his beard, was all the evidence that he needed, as bright as the neon signs in the alley behind The Hunter’s Moon. 

A gray hair. 

He felt a bit silly for getting as emotional as he was over something as trivial as a gray hair, but it was more than just the fact that he was going gray. He wasn’t that vain. 

He was aging. That’s what it really boiled down to. It had been such a prominent issue when he and Magnus had first gotten together that he’d lost many nights of sleep lying awake and considering the fact that he was going to grow old and die while Magnus didn’t age at all. 

He would be lying if he said he hadn’t noticed the iratzes that he drew on his skin taking longer to knit torn flesh and mend broken bones, or that he didn’t see that the laugh lines on his face had gotten just a bit deeper. But, this was unavoidable, and it was crushing him. 

“Alexander, have you seen Max’s red ball? He’s going absolutely nuts trying to find it, and I can’t--.” Magnus voice cut off when he came into the bathroom. Alec didn’t try to hide the fact that he’d been crying, they were long past trying to hide their emotions from one another. “Oh, my Alexander. What’s wrong?” He gestured to the strand weakly. 

“It’s official. I’m an old man.” Magnus came closer, his hand sliding over Alec’s jaw to tilt his head so he could see better, and he gave a soft “oh”. 

“I don’t know that I would call you an old man, darling. You’re under a lot of stress, this was bound to happen at some point. I think it makes you look distinguished.” 

“You’re my husband, you have to say that.” 

“Quite the opposite, actually. Being your husband gives me the right to be brutally honest. And I am.” His thumb brushed along Alec’s jaw lightly, drawing a smile from him. “A little silver is not going to make you an old man. It’ll just make you even more irresistibly handsome. Which, frankly, should be illegal.” 

“This is serious, Magnus. I’m aging.” Alec sighed softly. “And you’re not.” 

“We’ve been over this, Alexander…” Magnus eyed him cautiously. 

“I know,” Alec nodded surely, covering Magnus’ hand with his own. “I know. You can’t change what you are, and I can’t change what I am. That doesn’t make the process any easier.” 

“We’ll get through it, my silver fox.” Alec snorted a laugh and turned his head to press a kiss against Magnus’ palm. “And, you know, silver is a pretty rare metal. Even rarer than gold.” 

“I love you.” He mumbled against the soft skin under his lips. 

“And I love you. No matter how old you get, or how gray, I will love you until my very last day. You are it for me, Alexander. Nothing is ever going to change that.” 

There was a few fresh tears that had tracked over his cheeks, snaking their way into his beard, but Magnus brushed the tracks away when he heard the patter of small feet in their bedroom. 

Max’s head poked in a moment later, a brilliant smile on his chubby blue face. 

“Hi, Daddy!” He called out when he saw Alec. The sound of his son’s voice warmed the ice that had been slowly growing in Alec’s heart and he took a step back from Magnus to kneel down, his large arms opened wide. Max was in them in and instant and he stood, cradling the boy to his chest. 

“Hey, my baby.” Alec brushed his nose against Max’s, making him giggle delightedly and wind his arms around Alec’s neck to keep him close. Rafe followed his brother in at a much more sedate pace. He smiled serenely at both Alec and Magnus, leaning against the doorjamb and watching them. 

Max let his eyes drift over Alec’s face slowly before his fingers found their way into his beard, stopping where Alec knew the hair was. 

“Silver.” He mumbled, his blue eyes squinting. Alec couldn’t hold back the flinch, but Magnus responded before he could. 

“Mhm, Daddy is getting silver hair. What do you think of that, little Blueberry?” 

“Cool,” Max marveled, grinning at Alec brightly. “Just like Uncle Jem!” 

Alec finally felt the tension leave his body and he glanced over at Rafe, who was looking on with a look of amazement. He loved his Uncle Jem just as much as Max. 

“Cool.” He echoed with a slow nod. 

If his sons thought the gray hair was cool, his husband found it sexy, and it didn’t change a damned thing about the rest of his life with his family, then Alex supposed becoming a “silver fox” wasn’t so bad. 

After all, apparently silver was rarer than gold.


End file.
